


As It Should Be

by Salmon_I



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Angst, Fluff and Angst, Leo Can't Do Quads, Leoji Week 2017, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-08-22 00:56:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16587659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Salmon_I/pseuds/Salmon_I
Summary: "You look sad when you think he can't see you."Leo glanced over as his coach approached the side he was leaning against. "I'm being that obvious, huh?"





	As It Should Be

Leo stood to one side of the ice, watching as Guang Hong practiced the technical aspects of his new routine. His usually cheerful expression when around the other skater was missing. Instead his eyes were serious and thoughtful. Guang Hong stopped after a series of footwork and barrel rolls to wave and Leo smiled and waved back. When the other skater began a selection of jumps, however, the smile quickly faded.

"You look sad when you think he can't see you."

Leo glanced over as his coach approached the side he was leaning against. "I'm being that obvious, huh?"

"To me." She leaned against the edge of the rink, watching him as he continued to watch Guang Hong. "Penny for your thoughts, Leo."

"He's going to go far. He'll medal. Maybe not this year, but he will."

"He already has."

"Sure, but I don't mean Regions or Nationals or even Skate America. He was silver at junior worlds the year before his debut. Right after Plisetsky."

"That was his second junior world silver, actually. I do keep track of future competition. Besides, he wouldn't have gotten a spot in his debut year if he hadn't been good."

"He's better than me."

"I wouldn't go that far."

"He can land a quad."

There was a noticeable pause before his coach began speaking again. "You might still-"

"I'm almost twenty, Coach. Let's not fool ourselves. We both knew what it meant when I failed to land any last year after the extra training... I'm physically incapable of it."

"You can land every triple, Leo. Combined with your artistry, you can still have a successful career."

"Successful, but not championship."

"...Not with the current competition, no."

"Guang Hong can." 

"There's a lot of reasons he might not."

"He will." It was clear he had no doubts on the matter. His coach turned to study Guang Hong's practice, as if to judge for herself what his chances were.  "... I'm worried I'll resent him."

"Does he know?"

"That he'll go farther than me? That I'll have to watch him take home medals I've always dreamed of and know now I'll never get?"

She winced at his words. "... I'm sorry, Leo."

"Me too."

"It's a choice, you know."

"A choice?"

"You can resent him, or you can be proud of him."

Leo frowned, thoughtful. "Will it hurt less that way?"

"It will hurt him less that way."  She brushed a gentle hand through his hair before walking away.

Leo was still deep in thought when Guang Hong finished his latest practice set and skated over. "You've been quiet all afternoon."

"I've been thinking."

"Are you nervous about the season?"

"No, I don't think I am anymore."

Guang Hong blew out a breath. "So I'm the only nervous wreck?"

Leo laughed. "Oh, definitely not. Even Phichit's posts have been subdued."

"So what's on your mind?"

"...You were amazing out there."

Guang Hong grinned at the words, but waved a hand in dismissal. "I wouldn't say amazing quite yet."

Leo grabbed his hand, holding it close. "You'll get there."

Guang Hong colored at the praise, but it faded as he studied his expression. "Is something wrong, Leo?"

"No, everything is as it should be." 

"If you're sure..."

"I am." He offered him another smile. And if he closed his eyes so he couldn't see the smile didn't quite make it into them, then no one was the wiser.

_ Fini _

 
    
    
        
    
        
    
        
    
    

**Author's Note:**

> This was the other fic I completed for the August Leoji Week 2017. The prompt was: You look sad when you think he can't see you.
> 
> Headcanons abound in this fic. One of my Headcanons from watching the series is that Leo is physically incapable of a quad. This stems from his flashback during his performance when he is shown failing at a jump over and over.
> 
> Part of my love of YOI stems from the fact that in my younger years I was a huge fan of competitive skating. At the risk of showing my age, I was watching skating competitions before quads were ever done in competition. Skating is a sport and quads are a physical strain not every competitor is capable of. These days it’s rarer to see a routine without any among the top competitors, but back in the day many skaters weren’t capable of quads.
> 
> So my headcanon became that Leo, at 19 during the series, and going on 20 in this fic which occurs before the next season, has to face the fact that he isn’t capable of a quad and what it means for his career. And then he has to face the fact that Guang Hong, who just moved up from juniors, lands quads in his first set of routines, and what that says about his career possibilities. Friends (or more), they are also competitors and that’s a harsh reality to face. Nobody goes into a career in sports planning on being in the middle of the pack after all.
> 
> My other headcanon is that Guang Hong was one of the top in juniors alongside Yurio. If you look at the scores in the season ending at the start of the show, a different skater is listed for China. For Guang Hong, just up from Juniors, to be the one who skates for his country the next season, he had to have done very well indeed in both Juniors and Nationals. So my theory is he was silver against Yurio in the previous junior seasons.
> 
> Enough Headcanons. Hope you all enjoyed this fic, stay tuned for more.


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